


Why Do We Wear A Poppy?

by basketcase1880



Series: Family Bonding [1]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: M/M, Remembrance Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 19:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21397270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basketcase1880/pseuds/basketcase1880
Summary: Lexi asks Ben why we wear the poppy and Ben decides Callum would be the best person to answer her question.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Family Bonding [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1544998
Comments: 6
Kudos: 96





	Why Do We Wear A Poppy?

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to write a story about Lexi wondering why the poppy is only worn in November. Hope y'all like it.  
I don't know exactly what schools teach in Scotland (where I'm from) in regards to Remembrance Day, so there's no way of knowing how accurate I am in regards to the English education system and Remembrance.

“Daddy?” Lexi piped up one November morning over breakfast. “Why do we wear poppies in November?”  
  


Ben was shocked, to say the least, he never thought he would have to have this talk with his 7-year-old daughter. He thought the school would have explained it to her in a way that a 7-year-old would understand.

“What d’ya mean, baby?” Ben asked, hoping to gauge what Lexi already knew.

“We were told we wear them to remember,” Lexi explained as she recalled what the teacher said. “But why do we just wear them in November? Why can’t we wear them all the time? And who are we supposed to remember?”

“Tell ya what, baby,” Ben said, an idea forming in his mind. “Why don’t I bring Callum with me when I pick ya up from school. He’d be better to explain all this to ya.”

“Why? Is it ‘cos he listened better in school?” Lexi asked after she finished her breakfast.

“No, ya monkey,” Ben said as he scooped Lexi up in his arms, careful not to jostle her too much and cause her to be sick. “It’s because ‘e was a soldier. Who better to tell ya about the poppy than a man who followed in the footsteps of those we’re meant to remember with the poppy?”

“Okay, daddy,” Lexi said as she hugged Ben. “Can I get an iced bun to eat on the way to school?”

“Iced bun? I’ll iced bun ya,” Ben said astonished. “You’ve just finished ya breakfast.”

* * *

Ben and Callum had fallen into a routine where they’d meet up for lunch when Callum wasn’t busy with the funeral parlour. So, when Ben received a text from Callum saying ‘1pm at the flat’ his heart skipped a beat. He thought Callum would be too busy for lunch today.

“‘M taking lunch at 1,” Ben called out to Keanu, who was under a car. “So, don’t expect me back. You can take yours at 12. Want me to let Louise know?”

“You wouldn’t,” Keanu called back, knowing Ben well enough. “Even if I asked you to. Besides, I always take lunch at 12…”

“Alright, alright,” Ben interrupted, not wanting to hear Keanu drone on any further. “Just get back to work and you might get to lock up early today.”

Ben then turned back to his phone, in order to text Jay asking him to give Callum the afternoon off for something to do with Lexi.

* * *

When 1 o’clock rolled around, Ben and Callum met outside the flat. As usual, Ben strained his neck up in order to kiss Callum, but he realised he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Got a proposition for ya,” Ben said in lieu of a greeting.

“Yeah?” Callum smiled in return, before turning to unlock the flat door. “Stuart’s out an’ Jay’s given me the afternoon off, so I’m all yours.”

“Oh so tempting,” Ben smirked, following Callum upstairs. He was also glad that Jay had listened to his request. “But I’ve got to pick up Lexi from school today, an’ I was wonderin’ if ya wanted to come along too?”

“Yeah,” Callum smiled as he pulled his tie off. “I’d love that.”

“Good,” Ben smiled as he pressed a kiss to Callum’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around Callum’s waist. “Lex wants to ask ya about the poppy an’ why we wear them.”

“Right,” Callum hummed. “Don’ they teach that at school?”

“‘Parently the teacher told ‘em we wear them to remember,” Ben explained, pulling Callum over to the sofa. “But ya know Lex, she wants to know the significance of November.”

“Alright,” Callum said nodding his head. “I’ll think it over. What d’ya fancy for lunch?”

“You,” Ben said as he began pressing soft kisses to Callum’s face, before deepening the kiss when he reached Callum’s lips.

* * *

Callum and Ben were stood with Mick outside the school waiting for the bell to ring. The three of them were engaged in small talk about the whispering “mum-squad” who were throwing not-so-subtle glances at the three of them. When the bell did ring, Mick patted Callum on the shoulder before heading in to collect Ollie.

“Show ya boat sometime, Halfway,” Mick called over his shoulder. Ollie misses ya.”

Callum replied in the positive while Ben smiled at the familiarity between the two men, almost a father-son relationship. Maybe he and Callum could take Ollie when they have Lexi sometime.

“Callum!” Lexi called as she came running towards Ben and Callum. “Daddy said you were a soldier, so you know about the poppies.”

“That’s right, Lex,” Callum smiled as he bent down to her level. “An’ I ‘eard that you wanted to know more about them. So, why don’ we go back to mine an’ I can tell ya about why we wear poppies in November.”

“Yeah,” Lexi agreed as she passed her bags to Ben and wrapped her arms around Callum’s neck.

The two men exchanged a look, which was obviously Callum asking if it was okay if he carried Lexi and Ben giving his approval, before Callum secured his arms around Lexi and stood up. Ben smiled at the two most important people in his life before slinging his arm around Callum’s waist so that Lexi was between the two of them.

“If ya want, I could pick up a Chinese for dinner,” Ben suggested. “While you two visit the War Memorial. After all, it’s on Turpin Road too.”

“What’s a War Memorial?” Lexi asked.

“Seriously?” Callum muttered to himself as he looked back at the school. “What are they teaching in that place?”

* * *

It was decided on the way home, that Ben was going to get them dinner, and herd off Stuart if he was at the flat, while Callum took Lexi down to the War Memorial.

“So, Lex, what’s the teacher told you about Remembrance Day?” Callum asked. “I jus’ want ta know what ya know so I’m not repeatin’ anythin’.”

“We wear the poppies to remember the dead,” Lexi said. “I know the older classes are taught more though.”

“Yeah, some people don’t like their kids learning about the wars too early,” Callum agreed. “But your dad and me, we had a chat an’ he says it’s okay. Almost every town and city across Britain has one of these War Memorials, some of ‘em have the names of people of people who died fighting in the different wars, an’ some have a message on them sayin’ we will remember the dead.”

“Why do we wear poppies in November, though?” Lexi questioned. “Why can’t we remember them all the time?”

“We can,” Callum assured Lexi as he pulled her into a small hug. “I remember my friends from the army all the time. But the reason we wear the poppy is to mark the anniversary of the end of what is known as World War 1.”

“There’s been more than one world war?” Lexi interrupted.

“Yeah, there’s been lots of wars,” Callum explained. “Too many if you ask me. I was a soldier in Iraq, and I got ‘urt.”

“But you’re okay now?” Lexi asked, her voice full of concern. “Right?”

“Yeah, Lex,” Callum assured the little girl. “I got better, but it was decided I would be better leaving the army. Anyway, going back to the poppies. The poppy grew in a lot of the fields where the soldiers were fighting in World War 1 a hundred years ago,” Lexi’s eyes grew wide at the timeframe. “An’ agreement was signed in November 1918 to end the war, so it was decided that the poppy would be the best symbol to remember the dead with.”

“So, we wear the poppy to remember the dead soldiers?” Lexi asked, beginning to make sense of it all. “And we wear them in November because that’s when the first war ended? But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to remember them the rest of the year? Because there’s been lots of wars since. And that’s why we have places like this?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it, Lex,” Callum smiled. “If ya ever want to think about any of the dead soldiers, you just need to come here.”

“Thank you, Callum,” Lexi smiled. “I’m glad you told me about the poppy. Now I understand it all better.”

“You’re welcome, Lexi,” Callum said as he stood and held his hand out to Lexi. “Let’s get home and make sure your dad hasn’t eaten all our dinner.”

“And I can tell him about the poppy,” Lexi added. “When I asked him this morning, he didn’t know. I don’t think he listened well in school.”

Callum just laughed and led Lexi back to the flat. He couldn’t wait to hear Ben’s reaction to Lexi schooling him on the poppy and Remembrance Day.


End file.
